


The Tempest Blade

by ayma_nidiot



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-02
Updated: 2015-03-02
Packaged: 2018-03-15 23:47:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3466577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ayma_nidiot/pseuds/ayma_nidiot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From the war to liberate Daein to the senseless and bigoted war against the Laguz Alliance, I've had many an opportunity to display my sword prowess. The day that Daein can be free of profound suffering may seem so far from my reach, but with the beautiful Leonardo by my side, my fear is nothing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Love of Dusk

Part I- Love of Dusk

"With this Tempest Blade, I hereby swear unto you my eternal love and loyalty." With quivering hands, Leonardo handed me the elegant blade. His hands lingered over mine, as if to emphasize the strength of his words. "What say you, Edward?"

The pacific voice that Leonardo uttered imbued into me just how deeply he felt for me. His sincerity piercing my heart, I could no longer resist this passion of mine. "Yes. I vow to take care of this gift you have given me, and I will use it to slay many a foe."

"You have no idea how your words placate me," Leonardo spoke, kissing my hands. "May we both see our beloved Daein restored to its former glory."

With these reassuring words, I had no doubt that the two of us could see the Daein we once knew – the Daein in which we cherished each other's company in peace. It fazed me, then, when soon after King Pelleas' coronation, Daein did not rebuild but instead engaged in another war. In the coming battles, I could not fathom what in all of Tellius possessed King Pelleas to ignore the plight of his people – and side with the despicable Begnion Empire, no less! It pained me not only to see our general Micaiah suffer, but also realize that the continuation of this senseless war would hasten the end of my homeland.

I absolutely had to let Micaiah know I will not tolerate any of it. As I made my way for her bedroom, with my hand on the doorknob, I heard the wails of Queen Almedha. "You signed a blood pact with the senate after you were crowned! That's why you've been so scared, so terrified as of late. Oh, my son… I knew that Izuka could not be trusted."

"I'm so sorry, everyone…" King Pelleas' sorrow echoed through the door. "I had no idea… Now it's all because of me that everyone in Daein is going to die."

"What about asking for help outside Daein?" Tauroneo suggested. "If we make our case to General Ike, we can surely overcome the Begnion senate."

"That's not an option," King Pelleas replied. "If we do anything that the senate doesn't care for, the blood pact will take effect."

"Yet if we send all of our troops to war, then the Laguz Alliance is going to annihilate our forces anyway," Sothe cut in. "So, regardless of what we do, a lot of Daein citizens are going to die."

"It seems that I've been crowned the last king of Daein." I heard Pelleas fall hard onto the floor and lament loudly. "There's nothing that can be done about the blood pact."

At the realization of King Pelleas' words, my heart quickly fell into despair. Unable to hear any more of the conversation, I ran as fast as I could to my bedroom. I felt utter shame for hating King Pelleas so much without understanding what he went through. To bear the burden of leading a country destined for demise… I would be cruel to hate a man who wanted only what was best for his people.

As I arrived at my bedroom, I leaned my back against the door and cried. The thought that my countrymen and I could soon be massacred brought unto me a profound fear. Wanting nothing more than to get rid of this despair, I entered my bedroom, shocked to see a blonde archer sitting on my bed.

"Leonardo…" I could think of nothing else to say – not that my flood of tears would let me, anyway.

"You don't look good." Leonardo patted the bed as a request for me to sit next to him – a request than I gladly granted. "What's wrong?"

"I just heard why King Pelleas chose to enter Daein in this war."

"And?"

"Apparently, Izuka tricked the king into signing a blood pact with the Begnion senate. If King Pelleas does anything at all to irritate the empire, then the Daein populace will slowly die off."

"That's the worst thing I've ever heard! We've got to do our part, then, to defend Daein with everything we've got."

"But, Leonardo! We're going to die in a war that shouldn't concern us, and in the worst possible way!"

"No, we're not." Leonardo assured me as he hugged my head, drenched with tears. "Don't you remember our promise to see the complete restoration of Daein?"

"How could I forget when you gave me the precious Tempest Blade, swearing your love upon it?"

To further mollify my emotions, Leonardo caressed my face, leading it into a gentle kiss. The gentle kiss lead from one thing to another, and before I knew it, I felt Leonardo's warm breath on my collarbone.

"Fear nothing, dear Edward," Leonardo reassured as his nude flesh rubbed against mine. "I swear upon Ashera's name that we will stay together for an eternity. Both of us, safe and sound… That's how I want this war to end."

"Leonardo… Ah…" As I ushered Leonardo in with my entire body, he sent through me a wave of pleasure. "I vow to the goddess that I will never love anyone but you. Let's stay together – forever and ever."

The night I shared with Leonardo passed into morning, a morning that took on an entirely different mood. With the feeling of Leonardo's love lingering within me, and with my Tempest Blade at the ready, I stood behind the door of Daein Keep alongside my fellow soldiers. I would not let a single laguz into this keep and hamper my country's ability to liberate itself.

To my chagrin, however, I did not see my beloved Leonardo anywhere in the vicinity. Heck, for that matter, there was not an archer to be found! Where could they be?

"They'll be here any minute, now," Tauroneo, who stood to my right, warned. "They say that General Ike himself will be here, commanding the forces."

"The famed Hero of Crimea, and father of Sothe's children…" I spoke, with my Tempest Blade shaking in my hand. "Do you think I'm going to meet him in battle?"

"I don't know. You will be meeting a lot of laguz, that's for sure. Watch out for the hawk laguz in particular; their great mobility allows them to traverse the fences and possibly infiltrate the keep."

"Oh, that reminds me. Where are our archers? Someone's going to need to man the ballistae."

"They're already on the top, outdoor floor of the keep," Zihark answered. "King Pelleas ordered them there, saying that the archers will be able to get a better aim at our enemies from there."

"That's a smart strategy," I remarked, more to hide how distraught I felt rather than how clever the strategy actually was. What if something happened to Leonardo while I cut down my foes with the Tempest Blade? What if the hawk soldiers got to him before I did? What if-

"The enemies have arrived!" Micaiah's announcement pulled me from my thoughts. "Over the top!"

"Yoicks!" I barely avoided the stampede of my eager teammates and the laguz claws that soon followed. "I never thought I'd be so scared to see so many kitties!"

"Just focus on attacking them as often as you can." Nolan spoke as he severed the wings of a hawk. "They eventually won't have the energy to stay in animal form."

"The problem is, there are so many!" Meg seemed to aimlessly flail her sword. "I'd say we're outnumbered 10-to-1."

"At least there are not that many hawk laguz," Aran remarked, impaling the gut of a nearby tiger laguz. "We don't have that many archers left to man the ballistae."

Aran's last comment sent chills of concern throughout my body. When I looked overhead to see the top floor, I felt horrified to learn that he was right. I unfortunately could not see that blonde head from where I stood, so I resolved to make my way up there – come hell or high water.

"Leonardo! Where are you?" I hollered right before three cats lunged at me. I swung the Tempest Blade in irritation, and a shock wave smattered the cats. "Out of my way!"

"Edward…" Tauroneo slayed a hawk on his way to me. "You were wondering if you were going to face General Ike in battle, right?"

"I suppose so."

"Well, don't look now, but he's coming in your direction." Tauroneo pointed south, where sure enough, I saw the renowned blue-haired general. Not only that, but more enemy beorc began to appear on the battlefield. One that caught my eye in particular was the raven-haired tactician, Soren, whose close proximity to Ike ruffled my feathers. It was simply disgusting that the man who is responsible for the ruination of Daein could have his soulmate within arms reach, while I didn't even know if mine was alive. Unable to tolerate such tripe, I raced for the ledge from which I knew I could attack the general.

"Edward, no!" Tauroneo futilely attempted to stop me. "You can't take on General Ike all by yourself!"

"You bastard!" I swung the Tempest Blade, triggering a shock wave down the ledge. With more swings, I hollered, "You're going to pay for everything you've done to Daein!"

"Argh…" Ike groaned, thankfully debilitated by the shock waves.

"Ike!" Soren caught his boyfriend from falling.

"No! General Ike has fallen!" Titania, the vice-commander, took Ike upon her horse.

"Titania, I'm fine. I just need to rest a little, that's all."

"Godspeed to you…" Soren spoke as Titania and Ike trailed off. Then, turning his attention to me, he snarled. "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to Ike. You better pray to the goddess in what little time I'm going to let you live. Yah!"

I've heard stories of the Greil Mercenaries' tactician toppling buildings with his wind magic, and could tell from the gust of Arcwind that such stories were not unfounded. Unable to keep my balance, I fell on my backside, weakened from the gust. Before he could launch another Arcwind at me, one that would surely ensure my demise, I heard Micaiah shout, "They're infiltrating the keep! All soldiers, fall back!"

"I better join my allies, then." Soren took off in a huff. "Count yourself lucky that I spared you, boy."

I knew that I couldn't let such a lethal soldier into the Daein keep and ruin any chances of us breaking the blood pact. Yet Micaiah's next command stopped me in my tracks. "No, Edward, you're going to help me find survivors. In fact, I've ordered all of my old friends to do the same thing."

I wasn't sure what to make of Micaiah's order, but it reminded me of my need to locate Leonardo. As Jill surveyed the area, I called out to her, "Hey, Jill, you got a minute?"

"Yeah, sure. What do you need?"

"Take me up to the top floor."

"If you're worried about me, that's fine. I can search up there myself."

"There's a certain archer that I have to look for. Please."

"Okay, then." Jill told me as I mounted her wyvern. "If you insist."

"Thank you." It was quite evident from what I saw that our archers were nearly annihilated. Almost no soldiers moved on the top floor, and corpses lay on top of each other in heaps. It worried me greatly that Leonardo could be at the bottom of such a heap, and I could never find out his fate.

"Hey, Edward!" I heard Laura call out to me. "Come see this!"

"What is it?" I asked as I jumped from Jill's wyvern, hoping that Laura found Leonardo alive. "What did you find?"

"Actually, I don't know if you really want to see this…"

"No, please! Tell me."

"Oh, dear Ashera!" Laura began to cry into Aran's shoulder – an action that did not reassure me at all. What brought more dread to my heart, however, was what I saw next, on top of a vast pile of archer corpses.

There, in the midst of such bloodshed, lay the lifeless body of my dear Leonardo.

I wished to Ashera that what I saw was a complete falsehood, and if I just slapped myself silly, then this ghoulish nightmare would end. I stooped down to reclaim the body of my beloved and attempted to shake him awake. "Leonardo… Leonardo, wake up! It's me, Edward. Laura, heal him right away!"

The lack of a response sunk my heart further into agony. Dear Ashera, this could not be true, could it? You're going to awake me from this horrific dream and keep Leonardo by my side forever, right?

"Edward…" Fiona placed her hands on my shoulders in an attempt to calm me. "He's already…"

"No…" I held Leonardo close to me, as if to revive him with my body heat. Coupled with the biting temperatures, my strident cries of anguish tore at my throat. "This… This can't be true! Leonardo!"

"If you care to know," Fiona began, "I saw the face of the person who killed him. She was a blue-haired swordsmaster who wielded a magic sword. She attacked him from under the ledge with the shock waves."

"I swear upon all that is good…" I used Fiona as a crutch to get up, "that if I meet her in battle again, I will rend her to ribbons with this Tempest Blade. She will receive no mercy nor any relief from pain whatsoever."

With these words, I dedicated my life to finding the demon who robbed me of my most precious Leonardo. Surely, in this next battle against General Ike and his Laguz Alliance, I would meet the swordsmaster. Not only that, but we had the Prince Kurthnaga of Goldoa on our side, which would surely help slaughter the savages that continue to burden Daein. Add that to Queen Nailah, and I could fight in a war that embroiled all Tellius' nations. The chaotic scenery of this battle accentuated my thirst for revenge perfectly.

"Come at me!" I taunted the Laguz Alliance as I raced for the heart of the Laguz Alliance. "Blue-haired swordmaster, show yourself!"

"Edward, haven't you learned your lesson? You can't just storm the front lines like that!" Nolan scolded me – a scolding that I readily ignored. I don't have the time for nagging, not when I had to invest all my concentration on my current goal – and avoiding anything that could hamper me, such as the rumbling Thoron bolt that struck two feet in front of me.

"Yeowch!" I exclaimed as a shower of Thoron sparks rained upon me. That was odd; the Laguz Alliance wasn't exactly known for its thunder mages. Moreover, I could think of only one possible person that could use the powerful Thoron spell, and she stood before me with a determined hand. "Ilyana! Where in Tellius have you been all this time? I've missed you so much! Why the heck did you leave Daein?"

"Sorry for leaving without a word, but… my merchant caravan and I have deep friendships with Ike. I am fighting for the Laguz Alliance now."

"Does that mean… we're enemies now?"

"…If you want to put it that way, yes. Watch your step!" Ilyana warned before launching Thoron at me again.

"Argh!" The bolt, while it did not hit me directly, scattered a rain of painful sparks upon me. As if Leonardo's abrupt death weren't enough, the fact that Ilyana consciously attacked me couldn't be any worse. Apart from Leonardo, she was my closest friend on the Dawn Brigade. She is the only other person I've ever told about my relationship with Leonardo, and without her, I wouldn't have had the will to fight when Leonardo did not accompany me to battle. And now, she's siding with the loathsome Laguz Alliance? "I thought we were friends! Don't you value your deep friendship with me at all?"

"You know that I wouldn't be alive without my caravan!" Ilyana shouted through tears, her hand ready for another Thoron shot. "How could I deny their wishes, after all they've done for me? And you! Fight me, damn you!"

"I won't." I refused, dropping my Tempest Blade. "I will not lose another friend, even if said friend is intent on having my head."

"G-Gah…" Ilyana's hand wavered in the air, as if to summon an approaching flash of light. As the light resonated through the battlefield, I suddenly developed a migraine, and nausea surged through my body.

"Great Scot, what was that?" King Pelleas halted his Verrine attack to search for the light's source.

"It can't be…" Prince Kurthnaga, who appeared to know more about the light than anyone, commanded, "Everyone! Duck right now!"

As the power of the light intensified, instilling nausea in just about every soldier on the battlefield, my consciousness decided to shut down. The last sight I remember before fainting was the sight of my comrades suffering the same fate as I.


	2. Love of Twilight

Part II – Love of Twilight

It did not take me long to realize that that light was not an ill omen, but instead a blessing from the goddess herself. It must have been years, too, because I was now 25 years old, and King Pelleas had abdicated his throne to Micaiah for some reason. Perhaps he thought that she would make a great queen to my now fully restored Daein.

I knew that the atrocities I have endured were truly nightmares when I saw the one person that I adored more than anyone: the wondrous Leonardo. The silkiness of his hair and the warmth of his skin could not feel any more real. "Leonardo… Oh, thank Ashera, you're alive! I knew that the goddess would answer my prayers."

"And why wouldn't she?" Leonardo reciprocated my embrace as he spoke in a husky voice. "The goddess blesses the best among us."

"Leonardo…"

"Edward." Leonardo gave me a serious look as he drew my face close to his. His body heat became very apparent. "Now that we've seen Daein restored, and there is no war, there's one thing I have to ask you."

"What is it?" I felt my vision blur in the midst of Leonardo's dreamy words.

"Will you… ma-"

Before I could hear another syllable, darkness had already claimed my vision. Yet I still felt heat, just far less pleasant heat – so unpleasant, in fact, that it instilled nausea that brought me back to reality.

"Hey…" a familiar voice uttered. "Edward, are you waking up?"

"Ugh…" I groaned, waking up to what appeared to be an empty, vast desert.

"Thank Ashera you're awake!" Micaiah, who appeared to have carried me, spoke. "You've been out cold since Ashera passed her light of judgment."

"Light of… what…" I didn't really want to speak, but I had to know why Micaiah and I were alone. "Where is everyone?"

"They're on patrol duty, surveying this desert for Disciples of Order."

I had no idea what in Tellius Micaiah could be talking about, and I hardly cared. All I could think about now was how the goddess deceived me with a dream. A very wonderful one, yes, but a complete dream – a falsehood. "Dammit… So, the goddess could not grant my wish after all."

"Edward, I'm so sorry," Micaiah consoled as I cried into her shoulder. "Leonardo was a great person. I'm sure he loved you dearly."

"Meep! You didn't… know that Leonardo and I were lovers this whole time, did you?"

"Yes, I did."

"But how?"

"Micaiah was born with the ability to read minds." Micaiah's voice suddenly took on an eerie tone.

"Who the heck are you? What did you do to Micaiah?"

"I am Yune, goddess of chaos." The strange woman giggled. "Don't worry about Micaiah – she's right here. I can be with her because she's able to hear my voice and sing the galdr of release."

"That's very intense… Anyway, can I ask you something, Yune? Were you the one who gave me that dream, or was it Ashera?"

"I can't tell you, exactly. All I know is that the dream was a product of your dearest wishes." Yune's voice contorted with sorrow. "It pains me that even as a goddess, I can do nothing to help you achieve that dream."

"Don't worry about it, Yune." I gave Yune a pat on the back, holding my Tempest Blade close to me at the same time. "As long as I have this sword… As long as I have my promise to see Daein in its glory again, then I will fight on in Leonardo's memory."

"That's good to hear." Yune started to sound better, much to my relief.

This relief didn't last long, however, due to a sudden and violent cry from afar. "You heathens! You heathens must be servants of the dark god!"

"Let me guess…" I began, "You must be Disciples of Order."

"We certainly are!" The Disciples' leader cackled. "Hear my name and tremble! I am Duke Numida, and I will strike you down in the name of divine Ashera! Death to the false apostle!"

"Oh, yeah?" Sothe, with the other members of our group, approached us and taunted the duke. "Our 'dark god' and 'false apostle' can't be any worse than the disgust that you Begnion filth exhibit."

"You blasphemers! How dare you insult Ashera's chosen?" Numida summoned his legions, which seemed to come out of thin air. "We shall settle this in the ancient way – in a battle to the death. Whoever the goddess sees fit to win the day shall live… That will be us, of course."

"No, it won't!" Yune shouted. "The Light Priestess is going to sparkle your sparkles off!"

"Silence! Let us speak with our weapons!" Numida, with his Rewarp staff, warped to the other side of the desert. That guy was a blooming hypocrite, running his mouth about "speaking with our weapons" yet fleeing from battle. I decided that not only would I give the dastard a piece of my mind, but I would give it to him handily with my Tempest Blade.

Another person seemed to want Numida's blood more than I did, because not too long after I darted for the senator, I heard a woman shout, "Let me accompany you to battle!"

"Why, thank you very much!" I appreciated the help, especially since I knew too well how powerful a Begnion senator could be. Yet when I noticed who my new ally was, something unnerved me about her – and it didn't take me long to figure it out when I noticed the blue hair and the magic sword she carried.

This woman was, beyond a shadow of doubt, the one who robbed me of Leonardo. Forget Numida – this individual was far more worthy of my attention. I halted my path to the senator and simply gaped at the woman, with the Tempest Blade trembling in my hand.

"What's the matter? Don't you want to kill Numida?"

"Y-You…" I stilled my Tempest Blade and prepared for battle, launching my body at my despicable foe. "You bitch!"

"Hey!" The swordswoman parried my attacks, thankfully with quite a bit of effort. "What's wrong with you? We're supposed to be allies!"

"Nice try!" I drilled the Tempest Blade into the ground, sending forth a shock wave that killed many Disciples but didn't even scratch my foe. "I would rather Ashera take me right here and now than for me to be allies with you! I'm going to have your head for what you've done!"

"How do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb! You killed him! You killed Leonardo!"

"Ah…" The swordswoman slowly came to realize what I meant. "You must be talking about the blonde archer of the Dawn Brigade. He was a dear friend to you, wasn't he?"

"He was far, far more than that! Something you, in your barbarism, can never understand."

"Edward, please… I offer my sincere apologies for robbing you of someone you hold so dear."

"Spare me! This blow shall be your end!" I raised my Tempest Blade, hoping that my next blow would take the swordswoman's life. Considering that there were no enemies within eyeshot, I had high anticipation that my hopes would come true. The swordswoman seemed very eager to take the hit, because all she did was stare behind me – she didn't even bother to raise her sword in defense!

"Oh, gods…" The swordswoman's voice quivered.

"I can see you're terrified of me." I smirked. "That's perfect."

"Edward, watch out!" The swordswoman lunged forward, plunging her sword at me – and missing by a longshot. Little did I know that not only did she strike the enemy behind me, but she also guarded me from a potentially fatal blow.

"Gaaaaaah!" The enemy wailed in pain as he fell to the ground and died.

"Ugh…" The swordswoman keeled over, the huge gash on her sword arm debilitating her. "I can't believe I let some idiot give me a wound this grave."

I gave the goddess a quick prayer for letting me live, thanks to the swordwoman's efforts. Yet why did I suddenly feel sorrow upon seeing my lover's killer so badly wounded? "Hey… You didn't need to do that, you know. You shouldn't take unnecessary risks like that."

"But…" The swordswoman grabbed me by the shoulder, struggling to get up. "You would have died if I didn't kill the enemy."

"Nah, I would have dodged it just fine."

"Also… I hoped that by doing what I did… I wanted to show you how sorry I am for killing Leonardo. If it wasn't for my orders to fight against the Begnion senate, I would have gladly spared Leonardo's life."

When the swordswoman put it that way, it made perfect sense. The senate not only wanted to bring ruin upon Daein, but it also sought the end of all laguz and, ultimately, the world. To that end, the senators would use Daein as a disposable pawn, involving the kingdom in a war in which it shouldn't have had to fight. In short, if it weren't for the Begnion senators, Daein would have begun to rebuild and not engaged in the war – the war that took Leonardo's life. Now I knew where the true blame for Leonardo's death lie: in the Begnion senators.

"Ye gods…" I wanted to sink into the Grann Desert's sands to hide the shame I felt. "I'm so sorry for not realizing your apology sooner… Forgive me, I beg of you."

"That's okay. I took the life of your beloved, so it's only natural you'd feel aversion to me. Why don't we focus on defeating Numida in Leonardo's memory?"

"But… Are you really okay with that? You should have Micaiah heal you; you don't look like you're going to last long."

"Don't worry about me. I'll just use some vulneraries when I get the chance, and I'll be just fine."

"All right…" I let the swordswoman walk on her own. "If you need extra vulneraries, I'll give you some."

"Thanks. Before I forget to tell you, my name is Mia."

"Well met, Mia! Now, let's go kill Numida!"

Though I normally wouldn't care anyway, I did not hear Nolan chide me for doing something so reckless. Instead, he seemed to give me his blessing, saying, "Well, at least he has a support partner. So, he should be fine this time."

"Luckily, our enemies seem to be thinning out," I remarked. "I noticed the Black Knight warped here a few minutes ago using that wonderful Floo Powder. In the short time he's been here, he's routed almost the entire Disciple army."

"That's good to hear. The only problem is that the duke still lives."

"I'll tell you what's not a problem…" I began as I stared at the menace before me. "Finding the duke."

"I'm about to make it a problem!" Numida exclaimed, shooting Shine at me. "The power of the goddess Ashera compel thee!"

"And may the power of Daein send you to the goddess!" I roared, sending a shock wave in Numida's direction. To my dismay, that chicken used the Rewarp staff yet again, so often that we could not locate him properly. If this was a strategy to help confound the enemy, then it proved to be a successful one; if this was a strategy mean to annoy me further, then it succeeded there, too. I dodged Numida's attacks fairly well, but…

Mia particularly did not enjoy Numida's antics, as she began to stagger in dizziness. "Ugh…"

"Hahaha!" Numida laughed evilly. "Yes! Feel the power of Ashera's faithful!"

"Ack!" Mia suddenly found herself on the ground, nearly sunken into the sand.

"This is going to feel great," Numida declared as he readied a light magic attack from a distance. Though Mia knew that the Purge attack would finish her off, I could tell that she was too incapacitated to move an inch.

Despite the fact that she killed the man I loved, she was willing to risk her life to save mine. In the thick of battle, it would seem understandable to fight for one's life and no other. Yet this swordswoman, who before today didn't even know my name, had saved the life of a complete stranger – an action considered altruistic by some. Ergo, there was only one course of action for me to take.

I took that altruistic route, taking the Purge attack in Mia's stead. In a flash, a beam of light pierced my heart, sending through my body a wave of searing pain.

"Edward!" Micaiah, who had killed one of the last enemies, called.

"You're going to pay for that, you dastard!" Sothe screamed, chucking a throwing knife at Numida that hit him square in the chest.

"Ugh… What… What's happening? Vice-Minister, I lost the battle…"

"Good riddance…" After Numida's death, Micaiah stooped down to me, pressing her hand against the bloody hole in my chest. "Oh, gods… Edward!"

"Forgive me for being foolish, Micaiah… I went and got myself killed by the biggest buffoon in all of Tellius."

"Edward, don't talk like that. You're not going to die."

"You're right, in a fashion…" I gasped for what little air I could get. "The goddess is going to send me to a much better place, I know it."

"Edward…"

"Micaiah…" I turned my head to Mia, who seemed to be doing better after using a couple of vulneraries. "Mia, thank you for nearly sacrificing your life for me. I fully forgive you for Leonardo's death, because I know it was not your fault."

"Thank you… Edward…"

"Ah…" My vision began to fade into darkness. "I will meet Ashera soon… Hopefully, I can convince her to stop this judgment, so that none of you have to suffer as I did…"

It was with these words that I took my final breath, and I could see nothing but a sea of pitch black. More than the lack of pain and the inability to see war any longer, I knew that in my death the goddess would give me a gift that would bring to me great jubilation.


	3. Love of Dawn

Part III – Love of Dawn

It must have been weeks since I died, because for some strange reason I felt no violence whatsoever. The air felt soothing, enough to eliminate any nausea I suffered in that stuffy desert. There were no Disciples of Order, that's for sure. As a matter of fact…

I opened my eyes, only to see a lonely great light emerge from the otherwise pure darkness. Not too long afterwards, gravity decided to work its wonderful magic and bring me to cool, green grass. Could the assuaging lake, the beautiful people, and the cloudless daytime sky be real? Especially when not too long ago I was swamped with a path of blood and death?

One woman in particular, with her well-done vermillion hair and elegant light blue dress, stood out from even the most beautiful people here. An anthropomorphic dragon looked at her with profound gratitude, saying, "My goddess… Thank you so much for your good graces and for counting me worth to enter this realm. I am in debt to you."

"It is my pleasure, my child. There's no greater reward for me than to see my creations enjoy what I have given them."

"My goddess…" Could this woman be who I thought she was? The goddess who gave me that dream? In my desire to learn more about her, I approached her with a hopeful look.

"Why, hello there," the woman greeted me. "How are you today?"

"Fine, thank you." The woman's voice sounded even more mollifying heard from up close. "You aren't the goddess Ashera, are you?"

"Not exactly. My people call me Ashunera, the combined form of both Yune and Ashera."

"Then… I must be in heaven."

"Right you are! You're a clever one."

I stepped about three meters from Ashunera and let the scenery calm my mind. "I knew it. There's no way this can't be heaven, not after all the bloody war I've endured in Tellius."

"You'll find no war or violence here. The gods are all very loving and willing to assist anyone who needs help. Everyone is free to express themselves as they wish and love whom they want."

"Love whom they want?" Ashunera's voice brought me reassurance.

"Yes. You have no idea how it pained me to learn that in the early days of Tellius, people would scorn upon beorc-laguz unions, even going so far as to murder the children of such unions. Anyone, beorc or laguz, should be able to love whomever they want without crowds to persecute their love. It hurt to learn that even Ashera would weaken the laguz parent and cast the Branded into the shadows."

"When you say that 'people should be able to love whomever, they want,' do you also mean that people can love, regardless of gender?"

"But of course! I created all of my people equally."

"Then…" Ashunera's words bolstered my hope. "Does that mean that-"

I didn't need to utter any more words, for the sight of a certain blonde archer I knew answered my question. With my joy quickly rising, I ran for the archer, shouting, "Leonardo!"

"Yipe!" Leonardo, for some reason, began to flee at the sight of me. Now, why would that be? After months of not seeing each other alive, he has to act like that? I would have none of it!

"Leonardo, wait!" Before Leonardo could hide behind a giant tree, I nearly lunged forward to grab him by the wrist. "There you are!"

"Edward… So, you've died in battle, too."

"Leonardo…" I slapped myself silly and pinched Leonardo's cheeks, much to the archer's chagrin.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"So it's true… This _is_ real. No dreams, no illusions, no falsehoods. Just me, a wonderful scenery, and my gorgeous boyfriend."

"…" Despite how overjoyed I was to even touch my beloved again, in his silence Leonardo did not appear to feel the same.

"Talk, damn you!" Perhaps this wasn't the paradise I had hoped for, after all. A world in which some deceiver took on the guise of my boyfriend, having him treat me like a stranger, is not my ideal world. "The Leonardo I knew wouldn't act so aloof to his own lover."

"I'm just embarrassed, that's all."

"Embarrassed? That you died in a war that should not have transpired?"

"No!" Leonardo turned away to run, but I held him firmly. "I'm embarrassed… that I couldn't hold our promise. I swore to you that we would see Daein return to its former glory. But… But I had to die, despite my vow to see us both safe and sound until the end of the war."

"Oh, Leo…" I turned Leonardo around, looking at him tenderly. "If I didn't love you so much, I would probably hit you right now for panicking over such a petty matter."

"Edward… Do you forgive this man for being such an utter fool?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" I held Leonardo's tear-soaked face close to mine, so close that I could taste his breath and notice the fine contours of his face. "I've said it once, and I've said it again… Leonardo, you are not a fool for dying in a war that isn't your fault. We are in our own paradise now, and we have this Tempest Blade to attest to our love."

"You still held onto it after all this time…" Leonardo drew our Tempest Blade from its scabbard. "Even though King Pelleas gave you the Caladbolg, a far more powerful blade."

"Caladbolg is nowhere near as powerful as the Tempest Blade." I took Leonardo's hands into my own, as we both held the Tempest Blade close to our chests. "When I wield the weapon given to me by my one true love, I can only be motivated to give every battle my utmost effort."

"Edward…" Leonardo leaned forward, closing the gap between our faces for a prolonged kiss. I didn't even need to let go of the Tempest Blade to hold him close, for in its symbolism this sword bound our souls together.

"And Leo?" I spoke after our kiss had ended.

"Yes?"

"We can still watch the complete restoration of Daein from heaven. But more importantly, we have still held onto our most important promise of all."

"What might that be?" Leonardo asked as a springtime breeze accentuated the profound romance we felt through each other's bodies.

"In this heavenly paradise, we will stay together – forever and ever."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea for this fanfic came from my father, who plays a ton of Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. Watching him react to certain situations, such as enemies hitting at less than 50% (which happens a ton with him, poor guy), is very entertaining.
> 
> Anyway, he let Leo die in Part III (The Price chapter; Mia killed him – with terrain disadvantage, no less!) and Eddy die in Part IV (the Grann Desert chapter; I don't remember how he died in that one). As a die-hard fan of both characters (and, ultimately, this game), I threw a humongous hissy fit over it. I'm the type of player that never lets characters stay dead, and no matter how far I get in a RD chapter, I'd move heaven and Earth to bring Eddy or Leo back. What better way to "make light" of this situation than to write a tragic fanfic of them? LeoxEddy used to be my OTP, for about a year after RD came out.
> 
> This is not only my first tragedy, but also one of my shortest stories. I originally intended for it to be a one-shot.
> 
> By the way, I must say that En from Binan Koukou looks like Leo's and Eddy's love-child, haha. :D


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